Avatar Drabbles
by BecauseSheToldMeTo
Summary: This is where I put all of my Avatar drabbles/one-shots/fluff/etc that wouldn't fit in any of my other sections. Rated T just in case.
1. Differing Perspective

_For the ATLALAND lottery under the prompt "Savages". This one is rushed, but I rather like the intentions behind it. Everyone's views are different and it often makes each and every one of us a hypocrite. May change the title later since it doesn't seem to fit quite well enough._

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**Differing Perspectives**

Quilaq couldn't understand why his tribe was assisting those in the south. Those people were nothing but barbarians and it was a wonder they'd managed to exist for this long. How could a people who allowed their women to fight and hunt think themselves anything but savages? Women were meant to stay at home and bring peace and healing to their families. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like if his mother had been away for long periods of time to hunt, along with his father. He would have been home alone; no one to tell him stories as he fell asleep in the cold nights, no one to soothe his mind and heart with feelings of comfort and warmth. When he thought of women he thought of love, of warm blankets, of the sweet scent of heated seal-meat with spices.

The primitive igloos in the Southern Tribe were probably void of homely warmth. The women must look savage, with man-like arms that could break one in half instead of embrace one and make all of his or her troubles melt away. The tribe was probably small because all the females hunted and ended up dead, unable to give birth to life and keep the population thriving.

When he watched his little sister head out the door to go to her Healing Lessons, smiling back at her as she said goodbye, his heart stopped a little at the thought of her putting herself in danger like those in the Southern Tribe did. How could the brothers stand seeing their sisters go out with weapons against horrific dangers like sea-lions and polar-leopards? They had to be heartless; too focused on fighting to care about what happened to those who could one day give life to another.

And one couldn't forget their living conditions. The Southern Tribe lived as though Nomadic, their homes being nothing but tents of skin and snowy igloos with little fires outside for cooking. They were spread thinly throughout the South Pole after the Fire Nation had come and reduced their numbers severely—something Quilaq personally thought they deserved, after having abandoned the North Tribe to live elsewhere.

"Nothing but a bunch of savages," he said to himself as he fit on his hunting gear and prepared to follow his fellow guy friends out into the tundra.

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More people from the Northern Tribe had arrived earlier that morning, and Kuk'uq had watched as they'd come ashore and disembarked from their large ships. They looked like the Southern Tribe with their varying blue parkas and weathered skin, but there was an air about them that made it apparent they were not. They walked with their heads high, bright smiles on their faces, but the smiles looked false in the eyes of the tribesman.

They thought they were better than him and his people just because they had such higher numbers. They thought themselves prosperous and had come to "share" this prosperity. Kuk'uq saw it the other way around, however. Just because his people didn't have as many "worldly possessions" didn't mean they were impoverished. His people may have been few, but they were close, each member of the tribe a member of his family, blood-related or not. They were like a pack of wolves, all one and looking out for each other. Who could want more?

The Northern Tribe did not have that. They lived in large buildings in a city that could house thousands. Their houses were just that, they were not homes. The Northern Tribe wasn't even a tribe, it was more of a populace of people living together without even knowing one another. They did not know the bonds that truly made a tribe what it was.

In the North, women were not permitted to fight or hunt or fish. This seemed rather ridiculous to him. A woman was just as good a fighter as man, though not as powerfully built. A woman could catch just as many fish, face the fiercest of wild animals and stab through its heart with as much ease as a man, she could tell stories as well as any of those told by a man. Kuk'uq's oldest sister, for example, could send a man crying for his mother faster than anyone. She was a celebrated figure in his village for the triumphant hunting expeditions she had been on, for the bounteous meat and furs his people lived shared. And at the same time, she was the most kindhearted person he knew; giving thanks to the kills she had been blessed with, providing comfort to those that needed it.

To stifle a woman's abilities by making her stay at home was an outrage; a waste. There was so much more to a woman than homemaking. It was the pride of the men that allowed it, and pride was a horrible thing. It tore people apart. It was like saying a man could not sew or cook, which Kuk'uq knew for a fact they could. He rather enjoyed cooking, and his brother could patch a parka in moments.

What would happen, he wondered, if all the men in the Northern Tribe went to war and died? They would be leaving behind all of their women with no means of taking care of themselves. They would not know how to get food, how to trap a sea-squid or harvest sea prunes. They would all die off.

He hated to say it, for it made him sound like a terrible person, but these Northern Water Tribesmen were nothing but… but _savages_. He did not want their help, nor did his tribe need their help. They were a burden, a stain on what it meant to be Water Tribe.


	2. Noonday

_Bit of a different writing style than I originally use. Inspired by a poem at LJ called "Of Elk and Bone". _

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**Noonday**

The spirit was tired of the Spirit World, where things had no beginning and had no end. It was tired of gliding through realms of shadow and light infinitely with no real reason to except that it could. The spirit had always just _been_ and now wanted more. It wanted to experience change, to witness life and death, to feel balance and chaos. It wanted to live instead of just _be._

The form it chose was a simple one, with eyes to see, ears to hear, wings to fly. Its stark-white plumage gleamed like the sun on water at noonday. As it passed into the mortal world it felt mortality for the first time and shivered, beak pointing to the sky. When the sense of individuality set in, the spirit found itself as female, as if she had always been and could be nothing else.

She could feel time brush against her feathers, whisper death in her ears and sing life to her heart. The whole world pulsed around her, every organism in-sync with the other and yet completely unaware.

She opened her wings and fondled the air, allowed her new egret instincts to get her airborne. She flew over the world and relished its beauty and hidden rhythm.

Over time, the spirit began to become familiar with certain emotions: joy in seeing the sun rise each day, excitement for new discoveries, curiosity for what the world had to show her, elation at the feel of the wind through her feathers as she flew. She adored life and its austere pleasures and was finally aware of herself and who she wanted to be.

One day the wandering spirit found herself being tugged to the east by an alluring presence. It called to her like a familiar song, a song of hope and steadiness, and she followed it inquisitively. The journey took three days and three nights, but she did not rest, for the light she was following gave her strength. When she arrived at the spot that called to her, a forest of tall oaks and little brambles, she found a man.

He was broad and brown, built from the earth and brought up by it. She had never seen him before, and yet the sense of familiarity was still there. It was a deep sense that spanned eons, even time and space, and if she gazed at him hard enough she thought she could see the whole world in his eyes. He took no notice of her as she watched him from the reeds of the river, only went about working the water with his hands, moving its energies with his own.

These energies drew her closer to him, and he noticed her when she was just a few wing lengths away. His words were strange to her, unlike the calls of birds or the croakings of toads in the night, more distorted than even the human machinery she had witnessed at times. She cocked her head at him and blinked, warbled to him the best way she knew how, but just as she could not understand him, he could not understand her.

There was a smile given, nonetheless, and then the man went back to his task. When he tired of the water, he moved to the air, then to fire and earth. Each beckoned to him as readily as she had. She was entranced by his movements and stood watching him for hours. He took to playing games with her and the water, gently splashing her and laughing when she shook her feathers dry. She liked his laugh as it floated on the air, bringing her a warmth she'd never felt before. It reminded her of the sun rising, just as his smile was the moon's glow.

She took to following him as he travelled and he didn't seem to mind. There were nights when he would talk to her, and though she could not understand him, he appeared to take solace in her rapt attention. His voice carried her to faraway places, like a gentle breeze beneath her beating wings. This man was unique, kind and always on the edge of her memories from long ago. Over time, she grew to love him even more than the life she had found for herself beyond the Spirit World.

One particular day when the sky was clear and the leaves of the trees a vibrant green, as the man was preparing his noonday campfire, she went foraging for food among the bushes down by the river. She was not worried of losing him; for she always knew where he was by the light his spirit gave. The forest was quiet, the animals scarce. She felt an unnerving sense of _wrong_ but shook it off as she hurried to eat so she could rejoin the man.

The attack was swift and severe. She had no time to cry out before she fell to mud. Something was in lodged in her back and she felt her life force draining out from the opening it had created, pooling around her body and staining into her feathers. A man approached her from his hiding place in the bushes, a bow in hand, but it was not _her_ man. She watched through fading vision and jarring pain as he slung his weapon over his shoulder and pulled a small blade from his belt. Her life was over and her existence no more, though she regretted nothing that she had done.

The man for whom the spirit had fallen came looking for his lost companion hours later. He found nothing of her, but by the riverbank there was a stark-white flower that gleamed like the sun on the water at noonday.


	3. The Red Carpet

_I've never done an AU like this before. It's ridiculous. My friend requested a fic involving Zuko and crazy fangirls, which reminded me of an episode of _World's Dumbest Fans_. So in truth, this is a true story just with different characters used. This is going on the idea that _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ was a TV sitcom.

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**The Red Carpet**

The red carpet reached out in front of him for what seemed like miles. Throngs of screaming fans stood behind the barricades, waving signs with his and his cast-mates' faces on them. The noise was tremendous, his ears ringing, but he had by now grown used to it.

Mai's arm brushed against his as the two of them walked side-by-side down the line. On occasion, Zuko would wave to some of the fans shouting his name, would even stop to sign the posters they waved that had his face staring back at him. He didn't mind the attention, even liked it sometimes. Mai, on the other hand, ignored them completely unless she felt the need to stop and glare daggers at a particularly eccentric person; the girl who decided to fling her panties in Zuko's direction, for example.

It was an exciting moment, to be sure. After three years, the sitcom _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ was finally at a close. He and the rest of the cast—who had long ago become a family to him—were here for their final goodbyes at the Golden Globe Award Ceremony. Zuko had to admit it had come as a bit of a shock when the show had been nominated. Their director had ecstatically sent invites to each of them and they had all happily agreed. Aang, who played Zach Tyler Eisen, the conceited Avatar in the sitcom, had also been nominated for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series, something Zuko felt he definitely deserved. The kid was actually one of the nicest people he'd ever met.

The show's final episode had been filmed some many months ago, so it was nice seeing all of his friends again. Up ahead he could see Katara (Mae Whitman in the show), wearing a magnificent dress of blue—appropriate for the character she had played—that flowed around her feet like water. Aang was beside her, flourishing the staff he had used in the series for a group of girls whose cameras seemed to never stop flashing.

"I'm not surprised Ozai showed up," he heard Mai say over the noise. She pointed past Aang and when he looked he could the man. Ozai looked as smug as ever as he walked ahead, arms folded. He would nod to some fans but did nothing more, looking as though he were breathing in their cheers and attention like oxygen. It was hard to believe the arrogant actor had been able to play Mark Hamill—Dante's overly-joyful father—so well.

But then again, no it wasn't. After all, Mai played Dante's peppy girlfriend, Cricket Leigh, like a pro, when in real life she was as snarky and monotone as any person ever could be. The only similarity between her and her character was that she was indeed his girlfriend.

Zuko waved some more as he continued on, smiling at how just that simple gesture could make the volume in the crowd rise even higher. He saw Mai roll her eyes at him from the corner of his vision, which only made his smile widen. "If it weren't for the fans, we wouldn't be here," he reminded her. But to this she merely replied with her usual, "Whatever."

After a few more minutes of just walking and waving, Zuko decided it was time again to do some autograph signing. He chose to approach a small group of girls who looked relatively calm, one in particular that had caught his eye. She was not screaming or jumping around, wasn't waving any signs or used clothing. She smiled shyly up at him when he drew near, and his heart immediately went out toward this fangirl who could hold herself together. She looked no older than maybe fifteen.

"Hello," he said, grinning at her.

The girl blushed and looked down at her hands where she was holding a camera. Her long black hair fell over her face and hid her from view.

He ignored the others girls at this point, who were practically screaming in his ear. One leaned over the barricade to try and touch his arm but fell back when Mai came up beside him and gave her a paralyzing glare. "Would you like a picture?" he asked.

The girl nodded, still not looking at him. She held the camera up as if to take a picture, but before she could, he added, "How about with the both of us in it?"

The girl's eyes widened before she nodded vigorously, and ignoring a low warning from Mai, he stepped forward. The camera was handed to one of the girl's friends, who was practically spazzing with the opportunity and fumbled with it. "What's your name?"

"Adelina," she muttered softly.

"It's nice to meet you, Adelina."

He helped her over the barricade, her small hand clasped in his so that she wouldn't fall over. They stood by each other, him smiling at the readied camera and waiting. He could feel Adelina moving beside him, possibly from nervousness.

"Uh, Zuko—" Mai started to say, but before she could finish, the camera flashed brightly and he felt something cold clamp around his wrist.

His attention immediately went to his hand, which he tried to pull away only to find it hindered. A pair of handcuffs linked his wrist to Andelina's. The girl was beaming up at him with her bright blue eyes, all signs of being timid gone.

"What-? What is this?" he demanded, jerking his hand away in the false hope that the action might somehow snap the offending cuffs in half, but it only made his captor's hand flail along beside his like a fish.

"Now we'll be together forever," Adelina said. She giggled.

Zuko felt his heart plunge into his stomach at the same time that he felt his temper boil over. He had just fallen for one of the worst tricks in the book. He'd been warned about this so many times. How could he have been so stupid? He stared down at the crazed fan in mute horror.

"Get these off of me." He tried to stay calm, to keep his voice level. It wouldn't be good publicity to show his anger over something like this. Not in front of so many people. But _heavens_, he was so _furious_. Could someone really be this dumb, this obsessed, this _desperate?_ Had she honestly thought he would like this?

Adelina faltered. "I don't have the key," she said. She was attempting to sound sorry but was failing miserably, especially with that infuriatingly satisfied expression on her face.

"Huh. Guess there's only one thing we can do, then."

Both he and Adelina turned to look at Mai, who was staring at them with her arms folded. She looked amused, but he could see the glint in her eyes that told him how cynical she was really feeling. "We're going to have to cut your arm off, Zuko."

He gaped at her as she pulled one of the knives that were part of her dress's prop from her thigh-band. "Mai!"

A shrug. "All right. Her arm, then." She turned her attention to Adelina, a wicked grin on her face, and Adelina paled.

"Y-you're lying!" the girl said.

"Watch me." The blade twisted in Mai's grip and the sun glinted off its sharp edge. It was real.

Tears formed in Adelina's eyes. "I really don't have the key," she wailed. "Zuko will just have to walk the red carpet with me." She tugged her cuffed hand toward her chest, taking his with it, and hugged his arm, making him blanch.

"What's going on, Zuk—well, lookie there!"

Zuko groaned and hid his face in his free hand. He recognized that voice.

"Hey, Suki. Looks like Zuko's got a new girlfriend."

Sokka, long-time friend and annoyance, came walking into the scene. It was just like him to show up at the worst possible time.

"That's right," Adelina said, hugging Zuko's arm even tighter. "And he's going to walk with me down the red carpet."

Sokka's brows rose and he looked at Zuko. "Is he, now?" Suki, who was with the man, was covering her mouth in shock. Either that or covering up a laugh.

With a sigh, Zuko stood up straight and looked at his friend with what he hoped was as dignified an expression as he could muster. "I don't see how I have any other choice."

"I gave you the other choice," said Mai, the knife still held firmly in her hand.

"Huhn. Guess you're right." Sokka rubbed his chin for a moment, looking from Zuko to Mai to Adelina then to Zuko again. Then he laughed and came forward. "No use crying over it. Might as well give this, uh.."

"Adelina," Zuko muttered.

"Right. Might as well give this Adelina a good time while she's here." The man in his blue tux—a blue matching that of Katara's dress, something the two must have worked out beforehand—placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, ignoring Zuko's glares. "Ever walked a red carpet before, Adelina? This is going to be something you're never going to forget."


	4. New Spring

_I've been asking people for prompts to help get me out of my writing slump and my friend over at LJ—known as pineconecircus—jokingly gave me the prompt "Butts". I decided to go with it. It really doesn't have anything to do with this fic, but still._

_This is an AU: modern-day. Not quite sure on anything else. I wanna say Toph is 14 and Sokka 17.  
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**New Spring**

"You didn't have to walk me home."

"I know."

"I'm not a child."

"I know."

Toph stood there on her doorstep, head down and eyes furrowed with suspicion. "So then why did you do it?"

Through the earth she felt him shrug. His calm demeanor was disconcerting.

"I just thought I'd walk with you was all," he said.

Her heart started pumping faster. To cover her discomfort, she blew the hair out of her face and scowled. "We didn't even talk about anything."

"Huh. I guess we didn't."

This was more than a bit strange, and it made her anxious. She could only think of one reason as to why he was acting this way. She didn't know if she liked the implications or not.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, Toph," Sokka said after a minute of the awkward silence had passed. He was turning, getting ready to walk away.

Through her shock and sudden irritation, she snapped out, "That's it?"

"What?" He turned back to her.

"You're not going to kiss me or something?"

Here she felt his shoulders immediately tense and his pulse quickened. He stepped back and almost stumbled. "What?"

"Didn't you walk me home because you like me?" she asked, both perplexed and insulted. Sure, she'd have socked him in the gut had he tried to kiss her, but that didn't matter!

Now he was as rigid as a stone. "What—no! I mean—yes! I like you—but not like that, Toph! I walked you home because we're friends!" He spoke so fast and so disconnectedly that she had a hard time understanding what he was trying to say.

"What a gyp," she grumbled, hand now on the handle to her door. Her insides felt deflated for some reason as she went to open it.

Suddenly, Sokka's hand was on her shoulder. "Wait…" she heard him say, his voice constrained.

"Sokka, I—"

She couldn't finish before his other hand was on her chin, moving her face up toward his. Then his lips touched hers with a tenderness she'd never felt and she moved instinctively toward him.

After a few seconds, he pulled away. Her lips were still tingling.

"See you later, Toph."

There was a new spring to his movement as he strode down her front steps, which she promptly put an end to with a flick of her foot. The cement under his feet shifted and he was sent sprawling face first with a yell.

He was up again in a few seconds, though, and now he was whistling as he walked away.

She clenched her fist in annoyance, but after a moment she relaxed and a smirk played on her lips as she opened her front door.


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